Level 1 Little Zombie Doomsday Growth Diary - Chapter 61

Chapter 61

The dictionary contained not only symbols corresponding to words but also numerals.

To test the dictionary’s effectiveness, Carrot plucked a few leaves, scribbled some characters on them with a twig, and called Potato over to see if it recognized them.

Upon hearing it was being asked to read, Potato immediately shook its head, “Woo woo!”

No, no, it can’t read!

But when it arrived beside Qian Hui and stared at the leaves, Potato’s expression grew hesitant.

It seems… it really does recognize them?

The characters on the leaves formed the sentence: Where are you?

Carrot then brought over Apple, Mango, and Little Bamboo Shoot—plants that had almost never encountered human writing. Yet they too could decipher the characters on the leaves, as if it were an innate ability.

Without the dictionary’s translation, these characters would remain encrypted, incomprehensible to both humans and zombies.

Sunflower stood nearby, while Chili Pepper tugged at Qian Hui’s sleeve, “Woo woo,” expressing its thoughts.

Once the New Base was established, they could begin accepting new plants. In addition to actively searching for and bringing them back, they could also leave messages in various locations to increase the chances of being seen by more plants.

If plants were willing to join the base, the timid ones might no longer hide when encountering the Plant Squad, while the brave and strong could choose to travel to the base on their own.

Most importantly, Sweet Pepper had told Chili Pepper yesterday that three of Qian Hui’s former mutated plant friends were not here: Pomelo, Lettuce, and Timothy.

Sweet Pepper recalled seeing Lettuce once two years ago, wandering through the city ruins. It had exchanged a brief greeting before moving on. As for Pomelo and Timothy, Sweet Pepper had no leads.

Currently, vast swathes of uncleared territory remained under zombie control. These areas were riddled with winding paths and constant danger, making exploration extremely taxing. Even human ability users rarely ventured there.

Blindly searching was not a good approach, and… there might be situations similar to Sweet Pepper’s, where plants were unaware of Qian Hui’s presence and unwilling to reveal themselves.

Leaving messages in strategic locations would be ideal. If plants outside learned of the existence of a dedicated base, they might start communicating with each other and spreading the word.

In short, the Plant Dictionary was proving invaluable.

Qian Hui listened intently, his eyes growing brighter with each word.

He picked up Chili Pepper and exclaimed happily, “Xiao Jiao, you’re so clever!”

Sweet Pepper chimed in, agreeing wholeheartedly. In less than two days, the two peppers had gone from being captor and captive to becoming the best of friends.

Chili Pepper blushed at the praise, clutching Qian Hui’s hand with delight.

Potato, still hunched over the Plant Dictionary, continued to decipher the characters. This one I know, and this one too!

It glanced up at Sweet Pepper and Chili Pepper, a flicker of envy in its heart.

Durian had once yearned most to find its own kind. Later, when everyone drank the disguise medicine to play with it, its wish had been somewhat fulfilled.

Then Little Cabbage got Cabbage, Chili Pepper got Sweet Pepper, and Corn got its beloved twin weapons.

It… it had a perpetually hungry Big Cherry.

Potato turned its head, and Big Cherry obediently squatted beside it.

With a casual flick, Potato tossed a landmine into the distance. Big Cherry immediately gave chase, hopping away in eager pursuit.

Potato sighed inexplicably. Turning its head again, it spotted Nut standing in the grass, enjoying the breeze.

After shrinking, Nut was about the same size as Potato. At first glance, it could easily be mistaken for a second Potato.

Potato’s eyes lit up. It abandoned the Plant Dictionary and dashed off to play with Nut.

Qian Hui temporarily retrieved the Plant Dictionary from the grass.

The base’s improvements were still underway, and they couldn’t accept new plants yet.

He first purchased some wooden bricks from the Shop and asked Four-Leaf Clover to help carve them into thick wooden chips.

Wooden chips were durable and could be engraved with characters and placed in various locations.

Qian Hui also sought out Nan Tingjin, asking him to carve the characters for “Plant Little Courtyard” onto the main gate’s plaque.

The perimeter wall was now complete, while the well was still being dug. The lake’s location had been finalized at the foot of the mountain.

Carrot and Carnivorous Flower discussed catching some fish from outside the base and perhaps even capturing an aquatic plant. Carrot remembered encountering a Water Hyacinth and a Water Lily in the forest before.

Potato and Nut spent some time enjoying the breeze before running to Qian Hui, awkwardly asking when he would buy them their own planes.

Qian Hui hadn’t forgotten his promise. He bent down and picked up Potato. “Let’s see…”

The Prestige Point Shop offered a variety of weapons, each costing between 400 and 500 Prestige Points. After a quick browse, he purchased several types in one go.

Once Carnivorous Flower had gathered all the plants from the base and led them to a secluded part of the forest, Qian Hui mysteriously retrieved the items from his Game Backpack.

Mechanical bodies of various shapes and sizes materialized out of thin air, arranged on a relatively open patch of grass.

Two Flyers, a modified car, a towering Three-Barrel Cannon, and a pile of Ground Spikes lay scattered across the clearing.

The Flyers, each about a meter long, resembled flying saucers. The modified car, nearly two meters tall, looked similar to human vehicles.

There were also two even smaller convertible cars, about the same size as the Flyers.

Seeing so many new weapons, Big Pea’s eyes lit up, and it dashed toward one of the Flyers.

Qian Hui quickly stopped it. “Dou Dou, that one’s for Potato. Let’s look at the others first.”

He still had Prestige Points left. If these proved useful, he’d buy more.

“Woo woo!” Potato excitedly rushed over, circling the Single-Plant Flyer on the ground.

The Flyer’s design seemed simple. It pressed a button, and the transparent canopy automatically opened, revealing the seat inside.

Big Pea, not wanting to compete with the small plant, moved to the other Flyer.

The second Flyer was a Dual-Plant model, with a larger transparent canopy that could accommodate two plants.

Big Pea climbed in and began curiously exploring the various buttons and steering wheel on the control panel.

The buttons were labeled with unique characters from the Plant Dictionary, which seemed straightforward enough.

Just as Big Pea was about to try flying, the canopy reopened, and another plant sat down beside it.

It turned its head and met Mango’s expectant, innocent gaze.

Meanwhile, Carrot opened the door of the modified car.

The Dual-Plant Car had a simple interior, though it was called a Dual-Plant Car, it could be driven by a single plant. The passenger seat and rear seats could accommodate at least seven or eight more plants, and the seat height was adjustable, so squeezing in even more shouldn’t be a problem.

Carrot settled into the driver’s seat, adjusted the height, and gripped the steering wheel.

Hmm… feels pretty good!

It gently pressed the accelerator, then quickly slammed on the brakes, straightening up to peer out the window.

The other mini convertibles were occupied: one held Cabbage and Little Cabbage, while the other carried Four-Leaf Clover and Cactus.

The Three-Barrel Cannon and Ground Spike remained untouched for now, as the plants were more interested in the Flyers and cars, clustering around them.

Many plants hopped into Carrot’s modified car, including Carnivorous Flower, who squeezed in.

Potato, surprisingly quick on the uptake, had already figured out how to operate the Single-Plant Flyer. The ground-based vehicle wobbled as it lifted off, weaving low and slow through the forest.

As it grew more comfortable, Potato gradually increased its speed.

Just then, a whoosh sounded beside it as another Dual-Plant Flyer zipped past. Mango’s excited cry rang out: “Woo!”

Potato froze for a moment, then abruptly slammed on the accelerator, chasing after it.

Qian Hui called out anxiously from behind, “Slow down!”

Carrot, ever cautious, moved the modified car forward at a snail’s pace, inching along.

Sweet Pepper, growing impatient in the back seat, squeezed past Carrot and pushed it aside to take a turn.

The convertible was the easiest to use and the smallest, so Cabbage took Little Cabbage for a spin through the woods.

They stopped midway to let Little Bamboo Shoot, who was carrying Little Mushroom and Little Succulent on its back, climb in as well.

Qian Hui remained anxious until both Flyers returned unscathed.

The drivers of the modified car and convertible switched again, showing that the plants could operate these tools smoothly and enjoyed using them.

Potato’s Flyer landed steadily on the ground, and Corn and Big Cherry immediately swarmed around it.

Corn pressed the button to open the transparent canopy, then leaned over the edge, trying to squeeze inside. “Woo woo!”

There’s so much space in here, we could fit another one!

Big Cherry was also trying to squeeze in from the other side. After a long struggle, Potato finally relented and let Corn in.

The Flyer took off again, with Big Cherry clinging to a latch underneath, swinging in the wind.

These vehicles were also weapons, each equipped with slots for aiming and firing.

Big Pea soared into the sky and spat a green pea into a slot on the control panel.

A weapon port extended from the Flyer’s side, launching a green Pea that landed by the roadside outside the base, creating a deep crater.

The control panel had another slot where plant-based weapons could be inserted and converted into varying quantities of fuel.

After confirming everything was secure, Qian Hui purchased four more Dual-Plant Flyers.

The modified car was too bulky, and the convertible was too small. The Flyers were the most practical choice, with the Dual-Plant models offering ample interior space, allowing even a single plant to operate them.

These tools cost over 6,000 Prestige Points, nearly depleting Qian Hui’s available balance.

The Prestige Point Shop offered an unlimited supply of items, including large-scale defensive weapons.

I’ll need to find ways to earn more Prestige Points when I venture out later…

Faction Conflict rewards were the primary source of Prestige Points, and hunting zombies seemed like the quickest method.

As for the human side…

Qian Hui lifted his head, gazing at the distant walls of Black Ridge Mountain Base.

Now, Prestige Points weren’t only awarded for conflicts with the Human Faction. When Black Ridge Mountain Base became an independent allied faction, he received a bonus of 1,000 Prestige Points.

However, Qian Hui currently knew few humans well.

Plants, of course, wouldn’t naturally warm up to humans. Conversely, getting humans to actively show goodwill toward plants wouldn’t be easy either.

Qian Hui pondered this silently for a moment, then closed the Game Interface and rose to leave the forest.

Outside, Nan Tingjin stood waiting beneath a tree. Qian Hui approached him and instinctively leaned in for a hug.

Nan Tingjin buried his face against Qian Hui, his eyes showing a hint of weariness.

He reached out to stroke Qian Hui’s hair. “Want to go back to the cabin for a nap?”

The perimeter wall had just been completed, and Qian Hui had been busy acquiring the Plant Dictionary and purchasing weapons for the plants. He hadn’t had time for an afternoon nap.

Now that the plants were independently exploring their new “toys” and Little Mushroom was being cared for by Little Bamboo Shoot, there was no immediate need for concern.

Qian Hui nodded obediently, and he and Nan Tingjin returned to the cabin together.

On the way, he couldn’t resist asking again, “Have you felt unwell these past few days?”

Qian Hui’s hand was held in Nan Tingjin’s, the warmth of his body radiating steadily through their joined hands.

Nan Tingjin continued walking without pausing. “No,” he replied.

Two days later, with assistance from the Black Ridge Mountain Base, the well was finally dug, and the lake was filling with water.

Qian Hui had provided a complete set of tools, including water pipes, filters, and other equipment. Clean water was piped to the wooden cabin and various parts of the base, and several faucets were installed.

Yuan Ji was curious but hesitated to ask too many questions, given Nan Tingjin’s relationship with Qian Hui. He suspected these supplies might have been seized from another base.

And what about the bricks, cement, wooden doors…?

The Carnivorous Flower was so large. It could sneak out at night, hide the materials in its mouth, and bring them back. That seemed… plausible, right?

As long as the supplies hadn’t been stolen from the Black Ridge Mountain Base, they wouldn’t interfere.

With the water source secured, the remaining improvements could proceed at a more leisurely pace, such as planting vegetables and fruit trees.

During these two days, Little Cabbage had been busy, continuously spitting out countless Cabbage Lamps.

Little Apple and Soft Vine worked tirelessly, twisting grass ropes to create lamp strings, large light bulbs, and various types of mountain path lamps.

These lamps solved the base’s lighting problem and were quite beautiful. The only drawback was that Little Cabbage alone controlled the switches for all the Cabbage Lamps.

“Either all on, or all off,” Qian Hui decided.

He thought this was a good arrangement and promptly established a curfew for the lights. After they were turned off, the plants had to go to sleep and weren’t allowed to play too late.

Later that afternoon, Yuan Ji personally delivered thick cotton cloth, various knives, and cooking utensils, allowing the plants to use them as they pleased.

Qian Hui accepted the gifts without ceremony. “Thank you.”

The Carnivorous Flower grew larger and stepped forward, biting down on all the cotton cloth and two crates before carrying them to the foot of the mountain for storage.

Yuan Ji’s gaze shifted from the Giant Carnivorous Flower to Nan Tingjin, who stood beside Qian Hui.

For the past few days, Nan Tingjin had remained at Qian Hui’s base every day.

The base was now much more developed and no longer required human assistance, but it seemed… Nan Tingjin had no intention of leaving.

“Leader,” Yuan Ji ventured cautiously, “I… should head back now?”

Nan Tingjin responded coolly, “Alright.”

Yuan Ji nodded and turned to leave with several subordinates.

Never mind… With the Leader staying there, the Black Ridge Mountain Base will be safer.

As soon as they departed, a modified car emerged from the nearby woods and pulled up to the perimeter wall.

Carrot rolled down the car window and waved to the other plants, “Woo!”

Let’s go! Time for a joyride!

Several Flyers and two convertibles appeared behind them, darting wildly around the base.

Qian Hui didn’t stop them, only reminding them to be careful.

Once the plants were fully familiar with these vehicles, they would prepare for their first expedition outside the base.

Qian Hui wasn’t idle either. He took Nan Tingjin to a temporary warehouse at the foot of the mountain, where wooden chips cut from Four-Leaf Clover were stacked.

Using the Plant Dictionary as a reference, Chili Pepper had already carved the first chip.

The translated message read:

<i>Plant Little Courtyard (coordinates attached), a base exclusively for plants, providing shelter, food, and healing. Join us! Or wait at the edge of the safe forest, and we’ll come get you. — Leader Qian Hui.</i>

Every character on the wooden chip was meticulously carved, ensuring all plants could recognize them.

Sweet Pepper disassembled its chili pepper seed dart and, with help from Qian Hui and Chili Pepper, devised two sets of rubbings.

By pressing the wooden chip firmly onto the inked iron plate, they could create perfect duplicates.

This task was assigned to Nut and Nan Tingjin.

Nut was strong, but it couldn’t operate Flyers or modified cars. After sitting in one once, it lost interest.

Nan Tingjin could manipulate the wooden chips with remarkable efficiency.

Qian Hui stood guard beside him and Nut. By nightfall, they had replicated a hundred chips, enough for their first expedition.

Nut paused to rest, and Qian Hui picked it up, feeding it some snacks.

Little Apple thoughtfully brought a glass of water, which Qian Hui accepted and handed to Nan Tingjin.

Watching Nan Tingjin drain the glass in one gulp, Qian Hui actively took his hand. “Are you tired?”

Perhaps it was Qian Hui’s overthinking, but he sensed a subtle change in Nan Tingjin these past two days, though he couldn’t quite put his finger on it.

His body temperature seemed slightly higher than usual, though not alarmingly so.

Nan Tingjin set down the glass. “Not tired.”

He lowered his gaze quietly, stroking Qian Hui’s slightly cool palm.

That night, they returned to the small wooden cabin to rest.

The cabin had a small partition serving as a bathroom. After washing up and lying down, Qian Hui found it was exactly the time for the base’s lights to go out. The outside world plunged into darkness, and the Cabbage Lamp on the table flickered off.

He pulled the blanket up and snuggled into Nan Tingjin’s arms, closing his eyes to sleep.

In the middle of the night, Qian Hui woke up.

He groggily opened his eyes, feeling Nan Tingjin’s arms wrapped tightly around him.

There was some movement outside, like the surrounding trees were shifting positions.

After a moment of confusion, Qian Hui saw the moonlight gradually disappear from the window, completely blocked by several trees.

Warm fingertips gently brushed his cheek as Nan Tingjin murmured, “Why are you awake?”

Qian Hui tilted his head, still dazed. “You… you’re not asleep?”

He instinctively wondered if some plant had come near, prompting Nan Tingjin to block the window.

Nan Tingjin leaned in to kiss Qian Hui, answering, “I’m not tired.”

After several kisses on his cheek and lips, Qian Hui could even hear Nan Tingjin’s heavy heartbeat through their close proximity.

But Qian Hui was still sleepy. He cupped Nan Tingjin’s face and gave him a soft kiss, murmuring, “Go back to sleep…”

Another day passed, and many wooden chips had been prepared. The plants’ first expedition was scheduled for the following morning.

This initial outing was considered a trial run. Their primary objective was to scatter the wooden chips, take a quick circuit, and return as soon as possible, without specifically searching for new plants.

Four Flyers would be deployed, piloted by Carrot, Big Pea, Potato, and Chili Pepper.

Since they needed to scatter the wooden chips, flying solo would be inconvenient. Potato’s Flyer was replaced with a Dual-Plant Flyer, and each plant was instructed to choose a companion.

Carrot chose Durian, Chili Pepper chose Sweet Pepper, and Potato chose Corn.

As Big Pea was still selecting a companion, Mango rushed over.

It pointed at itself and whined, “Woo woo!”

Qian Hui shook his head. “No, it’s too dangerous out there.”

Mango immediately drooped. “Woo,” it whimpered, and Qian Hui patted its head.

With a serious expression, Qian Hui said, “The base needs protection too, so you have to stay here.”

After thinking it over carefully, Mango nodded vigorously, convinced by the logic.

In the end, Pea chose Four-Leaf Clover.

The eight plants formed a flying squad, with Carrot naturally appointed as captain.

They gathered to discuss their strategy in advance.

The next day arrived swiftly. Wooden chips were securely fastened to both sides of the four Flyers.

The plants strapped on their small backpacks, clipped on their weapon attachments, and climbed into the Flyers.

The Flyers rose one by one, and the plants waved goodbye to Qian Hui as they sped toward the base’s perimeter.

Once the Flyers had vanished from sight, Qian Hui opened the Encyclopedia to monitor the plants’ status in real-time.

Chili Pepper carried a Communicator that would continuously transmit the squad’s movements.

Watching the Encyclopedia’s updates, Qian Hui waited anxiously.

Half an hour later, Nan Tingjin’s Communicator received the first message: “Arrived.”

The Plant Squad’s destination was the nearest high-risk forest area, and they scattered wooden chips along the way.

Ten minutes later, a second message arrived: “Safe.”

Over the next half-hour, several more messages trickled in:

“Steady.” “Safe.” “Returning.”

However, just two minutes after the message indicating the squad was preparing to return, Qian Hui received a new one:

“Trouble.”

Qian Hui immediately tensed up and frantically asked, “What’s wrong?”

After a moment, a reply came:

“New, dangerous, help.”

Meanwhile, outside the base:

Four Flyers hovered silently in mid-air, motionless.

In the distance, at the edge of the forest bordering the city ruins, a Big Peanut was being besieged by five or six zombies.

Big Peanut fought fiercely, its punches sending zombies flying.

But the sheer number of zombies surrounding it made escape seem impossible.

One zombie was on the verge of evolving into a high-grade variant. Its heightened senses detected the Plant Squad’s presence, but despite twisting its head and scanning the area, it couldn’t pinpoint their location.

Inside the Flyer, Carrot leaned out, waving to signal the other plants.

Work paused! We’re going to bring Big Peanut back to base!

Meanwhile, on the opposite side of the ruins, a mid-grade zombie lumbered forward, its arms stretching out to grasp a swaying leaf dangling before it.

Its ten fingers were mangled, most broken in half. Ropes bound its shoulders, and a long branch protruded from its head.

The vibrant green leaf hung just out of reach, constantly taunting the zombie and driving it onward.

A wooden contraption resembling a recliner or small bed was strapped to the zombie’s back.

A mutated plant lay on it, basking in the sun with its eyes closed.

Suddenly, the zombie froze, its head drooping as it was forced into hibernation.

The plant on the recliner hopped down and picked up a wooden chip from the ground.